


Decision

by Ayngondaia



Series: The Cost of Love [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Blood and Gore, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Vomiting, this one's not for the faint of heart but it's a sweet fic i promise, wolf instincts.... yall know how it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25655989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayngondaia/pseuds/Ayngondaia
Summary: ''How long?'' asks Twilight, lips drawn in a tight line. ''How long have you known?''''Since the day we met,'' he answers, and watches on helplessly as Twilight’s stony expression cracks. ''Y'know, the marks, and the nickname… it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together.''
Relationships: Warriors & Twilight (Linked Universe)
Series: The Cost of Love [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824265
Comments: 24
Kudos: 268





	Decision

… He can’t see.  
  
It’s the first thing Warriors notes when he pries open his eyes. Coarse gravel digs into his cheeks, and there’s a headache pounding viciously against his skull. The air, cold and clammy, sticks to his skin like a sheet – and it’s much, _much_ too silent.  
  
His heart comes to a stand-still. He waits for a sound, any whatsoever, to tell him it’s just a particularly dark night. He waits, and waits. Releases a labored breath.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Though half his hand throbs in pain, he feels around for his pack in the dark, fumbling the clasp open with trembling fingers. He plunges his hand inside without a second thought, seeking and searching—  
  
 _Got it._  
  
The smooth, cold metal of his fire rod in his palm is a sight for sore eyes – or, a touch for sore… hands? Whatever. Some tension seeps from his shoulders. This is good. It’s not _great_ , but— no, no, this is pretty bad.  
  
Those portals definitely had it out for them by this point. A few days ago, one spat them out into a cluster of thorn bushes, and a couple weeks before that, one had the utter, _complete_ gall to drop them into a pool of mud. And this? This is just the awful, disgusting cherry on top.  
  
He waits for a moment more, listening. The magic of fire, thrumming through his veins where he’d wrapped his hand around the weapon of, honestly, quite massive destruction, is a comfort. Focusing, he calls the magic to life – pulsing, wavering, until a whir comes from the rod and at its tip, a flickering flame begins its lonely dance.  
  
Warriors sits up, looks around, and feels his already despondent mood sink into his shoes.  
  
An empty cave. _Lovely.  
_  
A cry bounces off the walls around him, and he jolts into a standing position, frantically moving his fire rod about to illuminate as many dark nooks and crevices as he possibly can.  
  
 _Monsters._ There are monsters about these tunnels, and he’s in no state to fight _:_ the ache behind his forehead is a stubborn one, his left hand flares up in pain if he so much as moves a tendril and, perhaps worst of all... he’s alone.  
  
Sure, he can hold his own, but there’s safety in numbers. Always has been, always will be. No one has ever won a war by charging into battle by their lonesome. He’d tried, and it had nearly cost him his head – not a mistake he’ll be making twice.  
  
It’s best that he finds the others as quickly as possible, for their safety _and_ his state of mind.  
  
 _But now, the question is…_  
  
He tilts the fire rod, held secure in his right, non-dominant hand, and wills his heart to settle as he peers down each twisting tunnel one by one, silently hoping at least one of them leads to the surface.  
  
 _… where to start?_  
  
Dragging his hands over his eyes, he releases a pitiful groan. _C’_ _mon, make a decision._ He’s supposed to be good at this. He never finds himself faltering on the battlefield but, then again, those are wide-open spaces. This place is cramped, damp, and dark.  
  
Time would take a logical approach, marking dead-end caves until he finds the way up. Hyrule, Hylia bless him, would just pick a direction and start walking, optimism propelling him forward. He’s ninety-nine percent certain Wild would just blast through half the mountain until he’s made a way out for himself.  
  
But, if he had to choose anyone to be stuck with, it would be Twilight. The man just has a natural gift for finding his way. He would— _  
_  
—a howl cuts his thoughts short, followed by a screech of metal against stone, a vicious growl and… a scream. Terror-stricken. Pained. _Hylian._  
  
Oh no.  
  
Without a second thought, he bolts towards the tunnel the scream came from, fire rod nearly slipping from his grasp and pointedly ignoring the chorus of monster cries that echo through the cavern. He can’t be late, he _can’t_ be. He mustn’t be. Being late means injury, means _death_ – means grief.  
  
He won’t grieve for lost comrades any longer – he _won’t_ allow it.  
  
More cries ring in his ears. He’s close, _so_ close. Pain stabs at his side. He wheezes, lungs desperate for air, _this is it this is it,_ this is—  
  
—he collides with something – and _hard.  
_  
Skidding across the stone, he’s barely able to catch himself on the coarse wall before tumbling over.  
  
A bokoblin lays sprawled on the ground. Wide-eyed and positively pale, it scrambles back onto its feet and rushes past him, trailed by a horde of other monsters. They push past each other, slapping one another in the face in their rush to get away – and completely ignore him, armed to the teeth and utterly confused, standing in the middle of their escape route.  
  
… What the hell?  
  
Whereas usually, he’d go after such cowardly fools, he finds himself rooted to the ground, mouth agape. He chances a glance to the dark depths the monsters fled from. Something lurks down there, something he cannot possibly begin to imagine.  
  
His instincts scream at him to get back-up, but… where? _How?_ There’s no one else down here – he’s the only one who can help, and he can’t ignore that cry for help he heard, he just _can’t._  
  
He’s better than that.  
  
With newfound vigor, he rushes onward through the twisting and turning tunnels for what feels like hours too long. One more second, and he’ll be reunited with one of his comrades. One more second, and he’ll find a corpse.  
  
Oh, dear Hylia, have mercy on them.  
  
…  
  
He doesn’t register the sight at first.  
  
A carnage paints the tunnel’s dead end an unsightly crimson. Monster corpses litter the ground, their limbs torn off and rib cages pried apart, intestines thrown about like a doll’s cotton stuffing. Impaled on stalagmites. Faces mauled.  
  
Nausea bubbles in the pit of his stomach, made worse by the stench of death. His eyes start to water – and through the tears, he spots a scrap of blue fabric.  
  
His heart lurches into his throat – Wild, _there’s Wild,_ at the very back, tears in his tunic and a trickle of blood inching from his temple, down his brow and the curve of his nose. Despite the horrors surrounding him, he looks near-angelic in his rest… though, that might be in part of his protector.  
  
Twilight looms over the boy, blood both black and red coating his arms up to his elbows, dribbling past his lips – and then he turns to Warriors, standing lost in the entrance, with a guttural growl and bared fangs, spitting blood down the front of his tunic.  
  
 _Oh no._  
  
Taking careful breaths, he angles the fire rod’s glow away from Twilight’s eyes, and takes his first cautious steps forward, his own injured hand outstretched – a plea for peace.  
  
He wades through the sea of bodies, his jaw clenched shut and joints stiffening in apprehension, but he forces himself through nonetheless. He can do this. _They_ can do this.  
  
How he wishes years of war could’ve prepared him for this.  
  
‘’… Hey, buddy,’’ he tries, ignoring the waver in his voice. Something _squelches_ beneath his sole. With all his might, he pushes his nausea down, keeping his eyes facing forward.  
  
Another growl comes from Twilight’s throat as he lowers himself to the ground, ready to pounce and tear him to shreds at a moment’s notice.  
  
 _This isn’t him,_ Warriors reminds himself. _You’ve got to do something._  
  
‘’… Twilight,’’ he whispers, inching forward – and he gains a vicious snarl for his efforts. ‘’ _Link_ ,’’ he says, hoping futilely that he can understand him, ‘’you’ve got to stop. I’m not going to hurt him. I _promise._ ’’  
  
He can see no longer, fire rod laying discarded by his feet.  
  
Twilight’s breath is searingly hot, _inches_ from his skin. Tentatively, he reaches forward, _forward,_ until his palm finds the man’s forehead. He moves his thumb, brushing over the dark marks he knows are there – smooth, soothing circles – trying desperately to ignore the drum of his heart in his throat.  
  
An agonizingly long second passes.  
  
''… W—What,'' Twilight croaks, voice hoarse and dry like desert sand. His pupils dilate, gaze intertwining with Warriors' own before trailing downward, sweeping across the tunnel, the _carnage—_  
  
Without another word, he turns away from Warriors’ touch like he’s burned himself, and hurls.  
  
He finds himself next to Twilight within moments, one hand tangled in the man’s sweat-soaked fringe, the other cradling his neck to support him. For a moment, all he can hear is Twilight heaving, _sobbing_ – Warriors unties his water pouch from his belt, makes an educated guess where his comrade’s hands might be, and practically shoves it toward him.  
  
‘’Rinse,’’ he commands. ‘’Calm down. We’re okay.’’  
  
Ever so slowly, he feels one of Twilight’s hands comes to wrap around his own. Warriors holds it without hesitation. Though there’s blood coating them, they’re a hero’s hands nonetheless. Scarred, calloused. Gentle, despite it all.  
  
He’d be lying if he said none of this frightened him, though.  
  
Seconds later, he hears the telltale sound of water splashing against stone. Twilight tightens his hold, a deep sigh brushing past his lips.  
  
‘’Why are you helping me?’’ he asks, voice hollow, raw. ‘’Aren’t you _disgusted_?’’  
  
… Maybe he would be, if he hadn’t seen worse things – or if he hadn’t spent so much time studying the statues littered around the Temple of Souls depicting past incarnations of himself. People like him, yet so distant he did not feel connected to them.  
  
Among them had stood a wolf, each hair carved delicately out of white marble – and a peculiar brand etched into its forehead.  
  
Maybe he would be, if he hadn’t fought alongside an imp – a _princess_ – that had spoken of the wolf’s antics with a smile on her lips and tears in her voice.  
  
He reaches for his fire rod and casts a small flame with what little strength he has left. It flickers between them – a little light in the dark. He can only hope it’ll light up Twilight’s burdened soul, too.  
  
‘’It looks like you’re... more so, than I am.’’ A pause, as he attempts to swallow down the lump in his throat, and fails. ‘’With how often you transform, I’m surprised we didn’t see any side-effects sooner.’’  
  
Twilight’s eyes widen, but he refuses to look up and at him. Instead, he keeps his gaze pointedly on the mess coating the floor before him. ‘’Side-effects… that’s one way to call it.’’ He huffs in frustration. ‘’I’m more beast than man at this point.’’  
  
Heavy silence settles between them.  
  
‘’How long?’’ asks Twilight, lips drawn in a tight line. ‘’How long have you known?’’  
  
‘’Since the day we met,’’ he answers, and watches on helplessly as Twilight’s stony expression cracks. ‘’Y’know, the marks, and the nickname… it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.’’  
  
Twilight refuses to look at him, still – so he untangles his hand and moves back for a moment to give him some space. Though he wishes to make things better _now, right this very second,_ it is not his place to do so. Twilight has to come to _him._  
  
He turns Wild’s head from side to side, inspecting him thoroughly for injuries. Some scratches mar his temple – barely bleeding, thankfully – but he also finds a rather big bump on the back of the boy’s head, which concerns him. Concussion, most likely.  
  
Brushing the hair from Wild’s eyes, he places the boy’s head in his lap and starts to card his fingers through the long locks, pulling them into small braids to pass the time.  
  
After a moment, shuffling sounds from behind, and Twilight slumps down next to him, wringing his hands and looking, quite frankly, like he’s a small child about to receive the punishment of a lifetime for doodling all over the wallpaper.  
  
‘’I’m sorry you had to see that side of me,’’ Twilight murmurs, running the same lock of Wild’s hair between his fingers over and over. ‘’It rarely happens, but when it does… it’s not easy to control.’’ A sharp inhale – Warriors stops.  
  
‘’What does it feel like?’’ he asks, tamping down his slight curiosity. ‘’When you’re in that state, I mean.’’  
  
It takes a few minutes before he receives an answer.  
  
‘’It’s strange,’’ Twilight murmurs. ‘’As if I’m looking through a thick fog. I see your presence more than your appearance, and it’s… like I lose myself. All I feel is the urge to _protect._ ’’  
  
‘’Protect Wild?’’  
  
Twilight inhales a shaky breath, now looping the strand around his fingers with a distant gaze. ‘’This time, yes. We’d landed here, surrounded by nearly two dozen monsters… I was afraid. Wild had hit his head and was unresponsive.’’ He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, smearing crimson all over his cheeks. ‘’I didn’t know what to do.’’  
  
Many thoughts race through his mind, and many slip through his fingers. Warriors settles on bumping his shoulder with Twilight’s lightly, hoping the smile on his face is at least somewhat encouraging.  
  
‘’Well, you certainly scared the shit out of those bokoblins.’’  
  
Twilight tries for a smile, but it looks more like a pained grimace. ‘’I guess asking you to pretend you didn’t see anything is… asking for too much?’’  
  
‘’I can hardly un-see something— stop making that face.’’ Twilight’s scowl softens into something unreadable – but it’s better than before. ‘’Look, I know I tease you sometimes, but I’m not cruel. If you want to tell them, you have my support. If not… I trust you can differentiate friend from foe.’’  
  
‘’I almost didn’t,’’ Twilight says. ‘’How can you say something like that so— so _readily?_ ’’  
  
He slings an arm over Twilight’s shoulder, and nearly drops it again as the man flinches at the sudden contact – but Twilight needs this. He _needs_ a wake-up call.  
  
‘’You shouldn’t wonder why I trust you,’’ he says, pulling the man close. ‘’Maybe you should wonder why you feel you’re undeserving of trust.’’  
  
Instantly, and with a great, big sob, Twilight leans into him, tucking his head beneath his chin and smearing blood _everywhere_ – but Warriors doesn’t mind as much as he thought he would. He holds on a little tighter, rubbing a hand across Twilight’s arm and resting his cheek atop the man’s crown.  
  
‘’Come on,’’ he murmurs, ‘’let me wipe the blood and vomit off your face.’’  
  
A snort – _a genuine snort_ – comes from Twilight, and in an instant, a sense of accomplishment surges through Warriors. They barely, if ever, get more than a close-lipped smile from the man. This? This feels like winning the lottery a thousand times over.  
  
Yet, this is worth more than any lottery.  
  
It takes only seconds to find an old rag in his pouch, wet it, and rub it over Twilight’s cheeks. Soon, his sun-kissed tan is revealed once more.  
  
‘’Are you going to tell the others?’’ Warriors asks, flinging the rag into the back of the cave – it is _beyond_ saving. ‘’About the whole… transformation thing?’’  
  
Twilight raises his shoulder. ‘’Two-thirds of our group knows at this point. I might as well.’’  
  
‘’Not surprising,’’ he replies, throwing an arm across Twilight’s shoulders once more. ‘’You’re not exactly subtle.’’  
  
An incredulous scowl blooms upon Twilight’s face – one he’s come to know and love. ‘’ _You—_ ‘’  
  
‘’—There you guys are!’’  
  
He snaps his head towards the voice – Legend, that’s _Legend,_ marching towards them with a blue-colored oil lantern dangling from his grasp, an exhausted grimace on his lips, and a glare that could make a baby burst into tears. Ah, he wouldn’t have the veteran any other way.  
  
‘’We’ve been searching this whole _fucking_ cave system for you three, and you’re just sitting here, on your _asses,_ and—‘’ A pause. A glance around the cave. A hard, questioning gaze thrown their way. ‘’—why are you all covered in blood?’’  
  
‘’… It’s not our blood,’’ Twilight tries.  
  
‘’Yeah,’’ Legend huffs, ‘’that does not make it any better. Alright, up! We’re getting the hell out of here.’’  
  
With Wild in his arms and Twilight at his heels, he trails behind Legend through the dark tunnels. Footsteps approach, and Twilight appears at his side. The man bumps shoulders with him before pulling him in a quick side-hug, being careful not to jostle Wild too much.  
  
He relishes in the warmth, a silent prayer leaving his lips.  
  
 _Oh, Hylia, may they all find peace with themselves._ Maybe not now, nor tomorrow, but… someday.  
  
And he prays that someday, he will dare to bare his heart as well. Dare to share his struggles with his comrades, of actions he regrets and words that got stuck in his throat, time after time. Never before in his life has he found the strength to speak so freely than when he got unceremoniously dropped in the middle of this rag-tag team of heroes.  
  
He’d like to be open, even after all this is over. Some small part of him wants to believe the others want the same for him.  
  
But for now, he falters in his soldier’s march, distracted by the rare treat of Twilight’s genuine smile. He hopes he’s done the right thing, in making the decision to help.  
  
After all, this is what he’s good at.

**Author's Note:**

> the first draft had twilight saying he couldn't think straight but i deleted it. i can't take that phrase seriously anymore.
> 
> let me know if you liked this!! i always love reading your comments <3


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